Etymograph

English

hellkite

Hellkite comes from English kite ‘bird of prey’.

  1. English1500–presentkite‘bird of prey’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1606hellkite

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. English1500–presentkite‘bird of prey’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1606hellkite

Earliest quotation: 1606, Shakespeare, Macbeth: “O hellkite!”

A compound of hell + kite

Proto-Germanic *haljō ‘hell’

Proto-West Germanic *hallju ‘the netherworld’

Old English hel

Middle English hel

English hell

Proto-West Germanic *kūt ‘bird of prey’

Proto-West Germanic *kūtijō ‘kite (bird)’

Old English cȳta

Middle English kyte ‘a kite endemic to Europe, especially the red…’

English kite

Every English word from English kite

Today it means

noun A person who is cruel and wicked, like a devil.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / English kite / hellkite

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